Jammu, Jul 12 (IANS): Over 2.66 lakh pilgrims have performed the ongoing Amarnath Yatra during the last 13 days as another batch of 4,434 devotees left for Kashmir on Friday.

“There is no decline in the number of Yatris arriving for this year’s Amarnath Yatra and the rush of enthusiastic pilgrims in high spirits continues,” officials of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) have said.

Since it started on June 29, till Thursday, over 2.66 lakh devotees had ‘darshan’ inside the holy cave. This includes over 10,000 pilgrims who used helicopter services from south and north base camps to reach the cave shrine.

The cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe that this ice stalagmite structure symbolises the mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

The cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 metres above sea level in the Kashmir Himalayas. Devotees approach the cave shrine either from the traditional South Kashmir Pahalgam route or the North Kashmir Baltal route.

The Pahalgam-Cave shrine axis is 48 km long and it takes devotees 4-5 days to reach the shrine. The Baltal-Cave shrine axis is 14 km long and it takes one day for the pilgrims to have ‘darshan’ and return to the base camp.

On Friday, 4434 Yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in Jammu in two escorted convoys for Kashmir.

The first escorted convoy carrying 1,721 pilgrims in 64 vehicles left at 3 a.m. for the North Kashmir Baltal base camp. The second escorted convoy carrying 2,713 pilgrims in 101 vehicles left at 3.35 a.m. for the South Kashmir Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp.

This year’s Yatra will conclude after 52 days on August 29 coinciding with Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan festivals.